A Long Beach whiskey dinner that lets you walk away with your own bottle of proprietary, single-barrel Woodford Reserve? Oh yes. True to its dedication to the history of American hospitality and what it could be contemporaneously, The Ordinarie is hosting this four-course on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6:30PM—and tickets are disappearing.
The Ordinarie’s Long Beach whiskey dinner is a mighty one. And yes, each patron walks home with their own bottle of Woodford Reserve.
Guests to this mighty dinner will start the way American parties started back in the days of fighting the British. A fine glass of spiked punch.
Then, it is followed by a four-course cocktail and tasting dinner. Each course includes a Woodford tasting and a cocktail:
- 1st course: Fresh polenta and tiger prawns with a hot whiskey reduction. Paired with a Woodford Reserve Bourbon tasting and cocktail.
- 2nd course: Smoked lamb with mulberry BBQ sauce and house pickles. Paired with a Woodford Rye tasting and cocktail.
- 3rd course: Brown butter cornbrea with malted barley syrup. Paired with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked tasting and cocktail.
Finishing off the night will be a toast with The Ordinarie’s proprietary Woodford Reserve single-barrel tasting, with each guest taking a bottle of their own home. And this rather special dinner is a larger reflection of the tavern experiment The Ordinarie has come to be.
The Ordinarie’s history—and its pronunciation—are the stuff Long Beach lore is made of.
It was the first thing I ever formally wrote about The Ordinarie—pronounced like the word “ordinary,” not “ordinaire”—and I repeat it today: There’s a certain aura one feels when stepping in depending on what time you go. Daytime is calm, quite a jolly place to have a work meeting or eat alone. There’s the nighttime, where live music is played nearly every night, and slightly rowdier (but not loud’n’rude) crowds roll in. There’s the annual, awesome absurdity that is Miracle at The Ordinarie.
There’s always this warmth and, while trying not to be too heady about it all, this is key for owner Christy Caldwell. Because his central concept revolves around a lifting of the value of American hospitality, a wide-ranging thought and idea that can mean varying things for people. For Christy, The Ordinarie harkens to the historical term “ordinarie,” or a place that was legally required in American settlements as a space that provided sustenance and civic engagement. A pub. A tavern. No matter how it is diced, historically, it has defined what American hospitality stems from.
This Long Beach whiskey dinner is a broader reflection of The Ordinarie’s attempt at harnessing American history, food, and drinks.
With Chef Nick DiEugenio’s consistently evolving menu—which, from his first menu last year to now, has taken deep dives into the Americana cookbook—that idea becomes much more honed. They’ve even researched Long Beach cocktail history to discover a tiki drink created here and recreated it on theri own.
In this sense, we are lucky to have a space that wants to have a concept that is as deep as the food and drinks it offers. It’s a beautiful reflection of an owner who loves Long Beach and a staff that equally grasps its potential.
The Ordinarie’s whiskey dinner will take place on Wednesday, October. 9 at 6:30PM. For tickets, click here. The Ordinarie is located at 210 The Promenade N.
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